Spring Break is exciting to plan for and dream about, but the date is quickly approaching. Here are some tips and reminders to maintain sanity for this thrilling time of the year!
1. Wear Green
The first day of spring break this year is St. Patrick’s Day, so don’t forget to wear your green clothes (or accept the fate of being pinched by every Irish person around you.) And believe me when I say that there’s a lot of us.
2. Pack SunscreenI don’t care if you travel somewhere warm or cold. Some of my worst sunburns have been when I’m skiing in Colorado, and people think sunburns are only a given when going someplace warm. Even if you’re that person that “never burns” over the summer, you need to bring sunscreen. Your skin isn’t used to over-exposure to the sun’s powerful rays, and it is not going to react the same way it normally would in the summer. Take advice from someone who recently had sun poisoning, it is no bueno spending a week with your best friend being an Aloe-Vera bottle. If I could go back, I would’ve applied SPF 1000. Avoid the burns, take my advice, and take some sunscreen with you.
3. Road trips are unreal
Road trips offer an opportunity. Not just for living out your dreams to become a DJ or a professional karaoke star in the comfort of your own car… You get a chance to be all close and personal with the people you love who you’ve chosen to spend your break with. Nothing brings people closer than shared discomfort, which in this case usually happens around hour 6 or 7 of packed car. Think of some fun games to pass the time like Never Have I Ever, Would you Rather, Truth or Dare, or when company gets really boring, even something as plain as I-Spy could spark the mood in a car. Just don’t forget to bring snacks because nothing darkens a mood like people who are hungry on the road.
4. Make a list and check it twice
Not to take advice from Santa, but when packing there’s no harm in pre-making a packing list a week or two before the trip and editing it with items that come to mind as time goes on. There are so many helpful lists online, all you have to do is look up “what to pack” and the packing list options never end: cruises, tropical trips, mountains, etc. Just keep in mind that the more you pack the more you will have to carry around with you, and if you’re sunburnt just imaging carrying a heavy bag on a burnt shoulder: once again NO BUENO.
5. Don’t forget to live in the momentI’ve been trying really hard to find the easy medium between capturing the moment and living in the moment. It’s hard these days to remember all the amazing experiences life has to offer, so it’s hard to completely forget about having a camera. However, there are times when I will look back at an experience and wish I had taken less physical pictures and more mental pictures. Everyone has a different medium for how many pictures to take; it’s just up to you to find out where your medium is!
All photos courtesy of Carolyn Martin.
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